FORT WORTH -- The Air Force Reserve in Fort Worth will undergo a significant reorganization in the coming year that will dramatically reduce the 10th Air Force headquarters staff, a move that its top general said is necessary to streamline the chain of command and reduce duplicate support roles.
Within 10 months, close to 140 of 200 military and civilian jobs will be eliminated in the 10th Air Force, which moved from Austin to Naval Air Station Fort Worth in 1995.The Air Force Reserve, staring down millions in budget cuts in the coming years, is taking an ax to the personnel rolls in all its numbered air forces to cut costs and put people in jobs deemed more crucial to the future, such as remote-piloted aircraft and cyberdefense.Brig. Gen. William Binger, a combat-decorated F-16 pilot with 30 years in uniform, assumed command of the 10th Air Force in November. His job is overseeing 17,000 airmen at 35 locations nationwide while making the transition to a leaner outfit."We don't want to waste money," Binger said. "The mindset is 'Let's put our manpower where manpower is required and the mission is growing.'"The changes are part of a major Air Force reorganization that will also affect the 301st Fighter Wing, which has been in Fort Worth since 1972.The 301st, which has about 2,000 people in F-16 and support squadrons, will add an "active associate" unit in 2012 and 2013 that will sprinkle active-duty pilots and airmen in the reserve unit.Almost 170 active-duty personnel will ultimately join the wing, said Brig. Gen. Bruce Miller, the wing commander and an A-10 and F-16 pilot. As a result, the number of reservists will decrease by about the same, he said."It won't be a one-for-one," Miller said. "When these associations were originally envisioned, they were considered to be strictly additive. But in a time of budget crunches and crises, that doesn't make sense. We'll offramp some of our reservists, so that the end state will be pretty much the same."Both commanders said they will work to lessen the impact on people, many of whom are within striking distance of retirement."It's an exciting time to be in this job," Binger said. "It can also be a little painful. Nobody likes change, especially when it affects people's jobs and lives. ... We're going to do our best to place people who are going to lose their jobs. But this has not been a secret. This process has been talked about for some time. It has given people time to plan."The 10th Air ForceIn 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended moving the 10th Air Force to Fort Worth, which was building a joint reserve base out of the former Carswell Air Force Base.The headquarters staff moved into a new building in 1999 at a prominent corner across from the base commissary and exchange. With a great deal of space opening up in the building now, Binger said, some Air Force recruiting personnel will move from office space in town, and some parts of the 301st Wing will move in.The 10th Air Force is the higher headquarters for all the war-fighting squadrons of the Air Force -- fighters, bombers, special operations, space defense and cyberdefense. The other two numbered air forces in the reserves are responsible for tactical airlift, combat support and tanker aircraft. The 610th Security Forces Squadron, with about 160 people, is expected to remain in Fort Worth."My portfolio is huge," Binger said, who has been traveling to those units since he assumed command.In the past, the numbered air forces often provided another layer of bureaucracy when units needed funding or equipment. Now, the Air Force Reserve Command will handle equipping and funding, and the numbered air forces will focus only on "readiness," a term used to ensure that their units are trained and can deploy when needed.Moving to Fort WorthOne of those units is the 301st Fighter Wing, which has often operated over Iraq and Afghanistan and routinely sends support personnel to active missions. The wing will start to gain active personnel next summer and finish in summer 2013. Nine pilots, 140 maintenance workers and 19 administrative airmen will move to Fort Worth."We're carving out work space for them," Miller said. "They'll have their own heritage and some sort of patch and signage. We'll allow them to honor that heraldry and maintain their integrity and cohesiveness."Fort Worth is one of four places where the Air Force is moving active units to reserve wings. Reserve wings are cheaper to operate than active wings, which is one consideration, Miller said. But the reorganization is also prompted by different experience levels in the active ranks compared with the reserves, he said. Virtually every pilot in the 301st has at least 2,000 hours in the F-16, for example."The active duty is relatively young and relatively inexperienced, whereas the reserves and Guard have very high levels of experience," Miller said. "What we can do is blend that manpower and raise the overall level of experience across the whole force."Chris Vaughn, 817-390-7547Twitter: @startelegramHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
